We are told that the cabinet has jointly written to the Standards Board with a complaint against Mayor Fiaz.

This has been an issue for two years, yet no action has been taken. It took until May this year to agree upon a consultation about closure.

One of the frequent complaints we heard when Mayor Fiaz was new in office was her refusal to make decisions. It seems that this problem has not gone away.

Members of the Labour Party report that the deadline for submitting applications to join the list of candidates for 2026 has been extended to the 4th August. Gone, it seems, are the days when there were three or four applicants for every available position.

In what was once the flagship borough driving improvement in private sector lettings, the BBC state that “In part of Newham, where there are only 75 licensed properties, he found more than 700 possible HMOs.”

Is it time for Cllr Virdee to consider his position?

It was announced on Wednesday 30th July that Cllr Neil Wilson had died whilst with family in Scotland.

Nor did they follow up with a question asking whether she was interviewed. Nor did they ask either her or the Labour Party, asking why she was unsuccessful.

We could offer the following answers; she did, she was, and because she has been an unmitigated disaster for the borough and the Labour Party.

In the 2024 general election Reform took roughly 5000 votes across the three constituencies. They didn’t stand a candidate in the 2022 mayoral election and only stood two candidates for council, in Custom House and Wall End taking 93 and 103 votes respectively with very little evidence of any campaigning.

He was one of a number of young Muslims who left Labour in the wake of the 2003 Iraq invasion and joined the Respect Party.

In terms of his personality, if elected he will breathe fresh air into the fourth floor. Hussain, however is viewed as likeable, intelligent and willing to listen.

The news Newham has been waiting for is finally here: Forhad Hussain has been chosen as Labour’s candidate for the 2026 mayoral election.

It seems that sitting Labour councillors have been told that if they want to stand as candidates at the next election they had better agree to the payout. What secrets are so bad that they’re worth £239,000? 

If Newham Labour councillors vote this through on Thursday, they may well be voting to hand over 5 or 6 more council seats to opposition parties — and potentially the Mayoralty itself — in 2026.

We could be seeing Mayor Mehmood Mirza in May 2026, if Labour councillors vote “Yes” on Thursday.

Having announced to the Labour Group that the decision about the mayoral candidate would be shared on July 5th , we discover that Labour are behind schedule again.

Some Labour councillors may think they will be shielded by the exclusion of press and public however they should remember that Open Newham told you first about the Mayor suing her own council, we told you first about Rachel McKoy leaving and lastly we told you first about Abi Gbabgo departing the council. You can rest assured that we will keep you informed of the outcome of any vote next Thursday and leave you to cast your judgment on those we all elect. 

When Rokhsana Fiaz became Mayor of Newham in May 2018, she promised transparency, accountability, and real change.

Now, after seven years, much of that promise has collapsed under a wave of mismanagement and scandal.

Will Fiaz be given another go at leading the borough, or is this conference a curtain call of sorts? Her active “hunting” for “opportunities,” as one insider put it, is a phrase that seems to mask a broader truth — that even she knows the writing may be on the wall.

Fiaz once rode a wave of momentum and meme magic to the Town Hall.

Now, as Labour prepares to select its candidate for the May 2026 elections, it seems she’s the punchline in someone else’s campaign.

“Is there anything in your past that you know of which would bring the Labour Party into disrepute?”

For most councillors, this is a moment for brief reflection, perhaps a chuckle over an ancient student union speech. For one councillor, however, this question may hit a little differently. Step forward Cllr Simon Rush.

“At the End of the Day…”  The Man Who Turned The Council Into A Slum Landlord.

Having voted in favour of every major decision made by Mayor Fiaz, and having sat loyally by her side through one calamity after another.

McLean now wants to lead the borough. How exactly she plans to distance herself from the wreckage of the Fiaz era is anyone’s guess?

This young woman took to Tik-Tok to vent her annoyance with Newham Council and the mayor in particular using very colourful language.

The renovation of Queens Market is a case in point for the malaise of the Fiaz administration.